What cables do you use?

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by GrtGrfx

There are no sides to the expensive vs. budget cable debate, because that's not the debate. There ARE sides to the cables make a difference / cables make no difference debate, and that's the one we are on. If you stand on the cables make no difference side, you look for quality of construction instead of discrete sonic characteristics. if you are on the cables make a difference side, you (obviously) takes someone else's word that one set of cables sound "better" than another, usually with big dollar signs trailing behind.

We in the makes no difference camp posit that, barring defects in physical contact between the connections, with two different sets of cables and two identical sets of speakers and amplifiers, you should hear the same thing. Feel free to acquire several different cable sets and try this yourself. If one sounds better, buy it. If neither one sounds better than the other, buy the cheaper one. It's that simple. The cool thing about reviewing cabling is that there's no pesky volume changes or complex setup like when demoing audio components or speakers. Same signal, same output. Do the cables make any difference?

I suggest you make two trips. One to your local Radio Shack and the other to the local high-end emporium, or for that matter, any Best Buy supplier of Monster cabling. Buy one pair of whichever cable you need (speakers, component interconnect, HDMI cable) from both. Keep the receipts! Now try one, then the other, in your audio system. Invite friends over for a beer and let them listen. Then follow the paragraph above. Once you can see whether there's a difference, you can choose to buy inexpensive cable or expensive cable from other vendors, or just keep what you bought for the initial test.

Good luck!

Such testing is prone to subjective opinions, and that will be predictable. Its been proven that simply switching cables from one to the other, back and forth, does not result in reliable results. And the listeners generally know which cables are being tested, so that alone has been shown to cause bias, even then the person tries to be neutral. Double blind testing is pretty rigorous and have amply shown that no one can tell ANY difference between ANY cables, expensive to cheap. Hard fact. What I do is get cables that are simply built solidly, good connects, gold plated. Too bad there is really no romance in cable selection.
Lots of motive for BS, though!!!

[jsound]

Sorry, all - I really was only trying to pick your brains as to my cabling options. When I asked how Blue Jeans cables "sound", I wasn't referring to their audio capabilities, I was just asking whether or not any of you thought they would be adequate for the system components I listed. If you look at them, I'm trying to put together an entry- to mid-level system, so I wouldn't even consider any cabling that claims to dramatically improve the sound, & costs $1,000. I think that cabling, ideally, would neither add to, nor subtract from your sound quality, merely get the signal from one component to another.
Anyway, after reading your responses, I'm convinced that either Blue Jeans or Monster would fill the bill just fine. The total cost would be about $100 for CD to Amp/Receiver to Speakers total.

[rbinck]

They sound fine. I get my cables at monoprice.com. Good prices and good cables.

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by jsound

Sorry, all - I really was only trying to pick your brains as to my cabling options. When I asked how Blue Jeans cables "sound", I wasn't referring to their audio capabilities, I was just asking whether or not any of you thought they would be adequate for the system components I listed. If you look at them, I'm trying to put together an entry- to mid-level system, so I wouldn't even consider any cabling that claims to dramatically improve the sound, & costs $1,000. I think that cabling, ideally, would neither add to, nor subtract from your sound quality, merely get the signal from one component to another.
Anyway, after reading your responses, I'm convinced that either Blue Jeans or Monster would fill the bill just fine. The total cost would be about $100 for CD to Amp/Receiver to Speakers total.

I think Blue Jeans Cable is a better choice, mostly because they will provide custom length cables and also various colors, I know that works well with me, with all the cables of biamped separates, seven channels.

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by jsound

Sorry, all - I really was only trying to pick your brains as to my cabling options. When I asked how Blue Jeans cables "sound", I wasn't referring to their audio capabilities, I was just asking whether or not any of you thought they would be adequate for the system components I listed. If you look at them, I'm trying to put together an entry- to mid-level system, so I wouldn't even consider any cabling that claims to dramatically improve the sound, & costs $1,000. I think that cabling, ideally, would neither add to, nor subtract from your sound quality, merely get the signal from one component to another.
Anyway, after reading your responses, I'm convinced that either Blue Jeans or Monster would fill the bill just fine. The total cost would be about $100 for CD to Amp/Receiver to Speakers total.

I think Blue Jeans Cable is a better choice, mostly because they will provide custom length cables and also various colors, I know that works well with me, with all the cables of biamped separates, seven channels. Mention my name if you do get them from Blue Jeans,
Dave Ladely, Pacific Video

[jsound]

Thanx, all!
I did go with the Blue Jeans - LC-1 interconnects & Ten White speaker cables. Everything is hooked up now, & I think it sounds fantastic! (The cabling cost about $60.00 for all - no complaints there!) Again, thank you for the info.